52 Films by Women Vol 3. 10. BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY (Director: Alexandra Dean)
It is very hard to replicate the shock and giddy pleasure of discovery. Chances are, if you have decided to watch Alexandra Dean’s documentary, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story , you may already know about the ‘hidden’ talent of the Austrian born actress turned movie producer. Let’s say you don’t. I’m not going to spoil it. Suffice to say that Ms Lamarr made a contribution to the fight against the Nazis that didn’t quite go to plan but helped shape the world we know today. The documentary tells her entire life story. What a life, what a story. Born Hedwig Kiesler in November 1914 in what was then Austria-Hungary, Hedy became an actress in her teenage years, starring in the notorious soft core pornographic film, Ecstasy . It made her a star, but also gave her the reputation of a woman with loose morals. She married an Austrian arms manufacturer, Friedrich Mandl, who kept a close eye on her. With his vast fortune, he attempted to buy up every copy of Ecstasy , only the film compa...